The present invention relates to a slot machine, and more particularly to an improved slot machine wherein at least one specified winning line among a plurality of possible winning lines can be recognized clearly by the player.
In a three-reel type slot machine for example, three reels with symbols disposed at the periphery thereof turn about respective horizontally mounted rotary shafts. After the three reels stop, three symbols appear in their display windows so that nine symbols, three lines and three rows, are displayed.
In most slot machines, commonly five combination lines i.e., five winning lines between symbols of the reels are provided: a first winning line combining three symbols appearing on the middle line, two second winning lines combining the respective three symbols appearing on the upper line and the lower line; and two third winning lines combining respectively three symbols appearing on the diagonal lines of the three-line-three-row matrix.
The number of potential winning lines among the five winning lines is determined depending upon the number of coins (including tokens) inserted prior to starting a game. For instance, if a single coin is inserted, only the first winning line is made effective and the second and third winning lines are neglected at the time of the winning judgment after the stopping of reel rotation. If two coins are inserted, three winning lines including the first and second winning lines are made effective so that combinations of symbols on these three winning lines become the objects of the winning judgment.
Since the effective winning lines change for each game, it is desirable to indicate to the player what winning lines are made effective. To this end, narrow lines, which do not become an obstacle to viewing the symbols, and which represent winning lines, have been printed heretofore on the display windows and a lamp is provided on the left side of each narrow line, thereby displaying the effective winning line or lines by turning on or flashing the lamps.
In such conventional winning line displays, since a single lamp illumination or flashing is conducted outside of the display window, it is somewhat difficult for the player to clearly recognize the effective winning lines.
Furthermore, if a game is played using a plurality of effective winning lines, with no means to discriminate the line that actually wins, the player faces a difficulty for the following game. Namely, after the reels stop, a microcomputer of the slot machine checks symbol arrays on the plural possible winning lines. If there is a winning symbol array, a number of coins corresponding to that winning symbol array are ejected. In this case, the player cannot recognize at once which line has a win.